Small successes are big ones

It has been two weeks.
I have learned some Italian and can now pick out words when people are talking...

This week I have successfully:
*Learned what NOT to do at a train station (AKA I got on the wrong train, got off at the stop in the middle of nowhere, and was saddened by the "disruption")
*turned the "disruption" into a great moment to see Irene's school and some of Gorizia.
*ordered a train ticket in Italian! This is super duper for me. Although I was slow in speaking my request, the guy at the ticket counter understood me!
*seen SBI -- a Bible college that is in a super cute little town called San Lorenzo. (This deserves another post, so it will likely be the next one)
*figured out how to do laundry! (Ok, so I LOVE doing laundry and I'm excited that I know which soap goes where in the washing machine... and I like that we dry our laundry outside. In the sun. Except when it rains all weekend -- like last weekend. But it's all good... I LOVE DOING LAUNDRY!).

The small successes ARE the big successes these days...

STOP!

As the Queen of Excuses, this was convicting...

Stop Showing God Your "But".

lazy Jane Austen days

I had the opportunity to visit Day Carr's house in August. She is a fantastic woman of God, has a beautiful family, and a beautiful home. Being at her home made me feel like I was visiting a scene straight from a Jane Austen book. My room was simple and exactly what I needed: a place to sleep. 

It also had a perfect little reading nook:

The simplicity of life in the country was refreshing after spending a year in metro Detroit.

I appreciate the hospitality shown to me by the Youngs, Tanks, Nugents, and Kneppers. What other time in my life will I get to live and learn from such amazing people?! I am truly blessed for those experiences.

I'm learning to be content whatever my circumstances. I don't need a lot in life to get me by -- I'm becoming a pro at living out of a suitcase. I don't know what's going to happen when I actually settle down somewhere!

Anyway, this is my little space here in Italy: 

I have two suitcases, a duffle bag, and my computer. I don't need a lot to get by, but somehow we buy into the lie that the next thing we buy will make us happy... I'm talking to myself as much as anyone else... 

God's teaching me: how to be content.

Philippians 4.11b-12

Hi, my name's Jenni, but you can call me Paul...

So on the recommendation of my friend, Dean, I picked up a copy of Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. Isn't it funny how God waits until the right moment to place a book in your hands? This book has helped me realize that my decision to come to Italy was the right one.

Mark goes through different cages that keep us from following the Holy Spirit's leading:
*cage of responsibility
*cage of routine
*cage of assumptions
*cage of guilt
*cage of failure
*cage of fear

The one I related to most (at this moment of time anyway) was the cage of failure.
Maybe it's my perfectionist nature.
Maybe it's my inability to make a decision without every detail in place.
Maybe it's the fact that I had an idea of what my life would be like at this point and it is NOTHING like what I thought it would be.
Maybe it's the sting of seeing my plans fail...

Chapter 6 (titled "Sometimes It Takes a Shipwreck") was all about this cage.

"Sometimes our plans have to fail in order for God's plans to succeed.... There's life after failure" (119).

Mark talks about how Paul's journeys were not always planned... It's even in the shipwrecks that God intersects people's lives... You never know who you'll meet when following God.

I loved the end of the chapter where he leaves us with three encouraging observations (138-9):
1) The longer you wait, the more you appreciate.
2) Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just hang in there (Been there, done that... sooooo not fun at times, but I wouldn't be where I am today without that time).
3) A sense of humor can get you through just about anything (I love to laugh and hope I never lose that).

I'm afraid to fail. But I might just be more afraid of not trying and regretting missed opportunities...
so in the words of one of my favorite musicals: Seize the day.

Wild Goose Chase

If you're looking for a book to read, I'm going to recommend WILD GOOSE CHASE by Mark Batterson.

Here are some quotes from the first four pages to whet your appetite:

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing -- Helen Keller (1).

I don't know a single Christ follower who hasn't gotten stressed out over trying to figure out the will of God.... Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: adventure.... Nothing is more unnerving or disorienting than passionately pursuing God (2).

Otro dia, otra aventura. Translation: another day, another adventure (3).

Take the Holy Spirit out of the equation of my life, and it would spell b-o-r-i-n-g. Add Him to the equation of your life, and anything can happen. You never know who you'll meet, where you'll go, or what you'll do. All bets are off (4).

Go buy the book. Or get it on Kindle. Or if you can't afford it but have time, sit in B&N and read it. It'll be free that way... but might take you a few hours. hehe...

Mission of Love

My blog is missionoflove2010.
I want to show Italy the love of God.
The true love that offers GRACE.

I helped la ragazza (a girl) pour her drink last night at the opening of the new store.
Davide and Irene's dad owns grocery stores here in Udine.

In case you're wondering what I have been doing for the past week:
~Updating my blog (bet you're all happy about that one)
~Eating fantastic food -- whether out to eat or at home (Irene's a great cook!)
~Trying to learn some Italian (livemocha.com connects people who want to learn the language with people who know the language... I'm about 6 lessons into it and enjoy it...)
I now have a cell phone and a house key -- both essential in case I get lost!

So, from here on out, I will be making travel plans.
I will continue hanging out with the few people that I know in Udine.
And I will try to keep this blog updated.

I've been posting pictures on Facebook. It seems easier to do it there (btw, if you are not on FB and would still like to see the pictures, I can email you the site to go so you can see them as well!). I will still try to post a few on here as well, though. 

Ciao --

due italiani amici (Two Italian Friends)

Meet Paolo and Claudio:

I met Paolo the first time I came to Italy in 2007. We went to an outdoor baptism service for the church in Aviano with Lucy, Bryan, Kari, Jesse, and Drew. He's a doctor and has come over to Dad and Lucy's house in Michigan a few times, so some of you reading this might recognize him.

Claudio is Paolo's sister's boyfriend. He's in the Italian military and leaves for Afghanistan next week. Please join me in praying for him. He is such a great guy and I am hoping that he makes it back to Italy safely in April 2011. He has been to Afghanistan once before and he said that it's only because of God that he's alive today.

'

I'm honestly too tired to post new pictures... So I'll just leave you with a little youtube song/video that I like listening to... I heard it on pandora before I left (pandora and hulu don't work over here, so I've just been listening to Italian radio -- which is a lot of American songs -- and I found a site to watch American TV shows over here!).

But here ya go: Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop.

food update

pumpkin gnocchi. 

gnocchi with plum stuffing... fabulouso!

lunch banquet! whoa... so much good food. it was me, claudio (pictured from left), irene, alessia, davide, and paolo (who wasn't in the picture).

these three plates were for one person. here's a view of mine: three sausage patties, two polenta squares, french fries, a small rotisserie chicken (on the bone! -- umm, i didn't eat much of that as i think that's kind of gross), an herbs and cheese frico and two more polenta pieces. i had coke while everyone else had beer. oh.my.word. i was stuffed! so.much.food.

pizza... with hot dogs and french fries. yum.

veggie pizza. yum.

needless to say, i'm not starving over here....

cultural lesson

Italians like rap music. I saw these guys at the Friuli DOC -- the food and wine festival that ends tonight. I can't vouch for what they are actually singing, so if it's a bad song, I don't know that it is... I kind of like the beat though (and this is for real, unlike kids who say that and then can quote any lyrics in the song! -- haha). 

To those who think I'm leading the good life in Italy...

I know where you are. You're working for that boss who does not treat people as they should. You work at the job you have just to pay the bills. You are not satisfied with the life you're leading and have a discontentment you can't really explain.

I know; I've been there.

And here's the encouragement I give you found in Wild Goose Chase (pg. 37):

Don't whine. Don't complain. And don't check out. Make the most of the situation. Do little things like they are big things. Keep a good attitude. And faithfully carry out your current obligations. If your job isn't exciting, then bring some excitement to the job. One of the greatest acts of worship is keeping a good attitude in a bad situation. And doing a good job at a bad job honors God. It will also open doors of opportunity down the road. It did for Nehemiah. 

I have been through a lot of different situations to get me to where I am at today. My encouragement to you is to smile, try to enjoy life WHERE YOU ARE AT THIS MOMENT, and be the best employee/boss/mother/wife/daughter/sister/friend/(insert whatever else you can think of) you can be.

One of my life verses:

I am seeing my life verse come into action:




Acts 1.8:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 






I was reminded by a friend that it does not really matter WHERE I minister or WHAT I'll be doing... as long as I am making Jesus known, everything will all work out.


Comforting to remember that. 

Friuli DOC

So there's a food and wine festival here this weekend. It's called Friuli DOC. I went last night with Davide and his girlfriend, Alessia.

For dinner I had polenta and frico. You can look it up on wikipedia for more information.

Alessia and Davide

Quick shoutout:

Meet Amanda. She was the one who helped me make this blog look so spiffy. I remember meeting her for the first time at MCC with my mom. My mom loved her perfume. She was a beautiful pregnant woman... Berlyn was born shortly after I met her.

Amanda has been a constant source of encouragement... our lives are both daring adventures right now... and God's stretching us by putting our faith into action. Really truly trusting God.

And then of course she writes posts like this. You can tell that Amanda is real and I appreciate that about people.

Thanks Amanda. For your friendship, encouragement, and being a shining light. You are wonderful.

PS -- while this post seems to have little to do with Italy, in a lot of ways this IS Italy... Who else would be excited about all these blog posts I have been posting? Offering Scripture to encourage me while I feel like I'm living the confusion of the Tower of Babel. I don't really understand Italian yet and it's frustrating to me not to see the inner beauty in people yet... But Amanda has continued to offer me what I need to get through the day -- little pieces of encouragement, and to me that's seeing God work in people...

And the answer is...

horseradish. Yep... that last picture was not cheese. It was horseradish. But it was still delicious!

Europe...

  

... is worth waiting for...

 is cute! hehe... 

...has somewhat creepy airport advertisements. this was a real car with a huge man in it... i think it's advertising convertibles? 

... is comforting. Irene made me peppermint tea -- my fav!

... is unpredictable. I thought this was bread, ham, and cheese... Anyone want to take a guess at what the "cheese" really was? 

Here's a little video I made while waiting for Mike (my brother) to pick me up to go to the airport.

I am in Italy! I am in Italy! Whoa. I can't believe it, so I have to keep saying it to myself: I am in Italy! Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. I am so tired still (I slept MAYBE an hour during my 13 hours of traveling that with the 6 hour time difference felt like 20+ hours of travelling).

My airplane seatmates were diverse. I met a woman originally from the Philippines who now lives in Dubai. She was taking her youngest son to college in Ottawa. I asked her what Dubai is like. She said its desert and they are friendly to foreigners. It's part of the UAE: United Arab Emirates. It was interesting talking to her. She said that it is a pretty nice city since it was under the British rule. (Google Palm Island... I think it look pretty cool...).

The guy on the other side of me was with his parents. They were in Chicago visiting family but on their way back home to Germany. He's a salesperson from a German TV station. He told me his favorite city that he's ever visited is Moscow. 

Dusseldorf was full of guys in business suits.

One of those men was my seat partner on the plane. He was a true Italian in a pin-striped suit. I asked him about church in Italy. He said that he went to church every couple of weeks. People's lives don't match with what the church believes, so most people don't pay attention anymore. He said divorce was becoming more common and in the Catholic Church, divorce is a sin. He said that the south is more open to church and go more often than people in northern Italy. He said that the church helps immigrants but doesn't really reach out to people. Interesting...

For your entertainment: 

Yesterday in Dusseldorf airport, I realized I was DEFINITELY in Europe when I saw a man and a woman walking through the airport... The MAN's shoes were making more noise than the woman's shoes. haha..

last few things of HOME

I did a lot of other stuff the week I was home, but these are a few that I took pictures of:

A few days before leaving for Italy, I visited my grandparents. I miss my grandma a lot. My grandpa died when I was young... but I talk to my grandma at her gravesite when life is changing... which seems to happen at least once a year.

My stepbrother Bryan is pretty amazing. He's a middle schooler now. I love spending time with him.

Saw a rainbow.

Had fun catching up with Rachel. She's an awesome friend!

nothing quite like a mother's love

She's my best friend. I miss her.

prayer requests

For a while I was beginning to think I wouldn't have anything to do in Italy other than go to the library and study Italian.

I have made several contacts with church leaders in Italy. Please pray that I might use my time wisely in visiting the different ministries.

I am going to Italy to learn more about ministry opportunities, not to meet "hot Italian men". There's a chance I'll meet someone while in Italy and in a lot of ways, that scares me... I have seen so many marriages fail. But in the past year I have also witnessed several healthy marriages and that gives me hope. Please pray that I might guard my heart well. One of my goals in life is to get married and have a family. It is not my end goal. I know that it will happen in God's timing.

While I am excited about the adventures that await me in Italy, I would also LOVE to have someone to share experiences like that with. So married people who keep telling me to count my blessing by having the freedom to go to Italy, I say -- count your blessing that you have a spouse and/or family that you get to experience life with.

I am going to be exploring and visiting Catholic churches and asking people to be honest with me about their views of Jesus, the Church, and Christians. I am planning on using podcast messages to keep growing spiritually.

Three months is a long time to be another country. But at the same time, three months is a short time to be in another country... Pray I don't get homesick.

Thanks for praying. Can I offer some on your behalf?

PS -- I wasn't going to give out my address in Italy, but several people have asked for it to write while I am there. If you would like it, leave a comment, message me on FB or call me (if before Sept 14 -- otherwise skype).

MCC Recap pt. 2

Because of my travels, my family is ever-expanding.

While at MCC, I spent the majority of my time living with the Nugents. Mike, Kelly, and their three awesome girls. They made me feel right at home and I cannot even begin to express how much they mean to me. I loved the time I got to spend with them. It has been fun to watch the girls grow and remember the fun times we had together. They reminded me to be a kid every once in a while. Play outside and enjoy the simple things of life.

My last month at MCC, I lived with the Kneppers. What an awesome family. Again I was just baffled at how smart children can be, how hilarious 4-year-olds are, and the overall love felt in a family.

Family of co workers:

I met April when I first got to metro Detroit. She has been a blessing in my life and can relate to ministry hardships. She and her husband Nate led the young adult group at another church. 

While meeting at Starbucks, I saw these cool kids sitting outside... It was good to say goodbye to some of my students one last time...

2009-2010 in metro Detroit... wouldn't have had it any other way...